The Reluctant Dark Knight/Prologue
Sir Johan is a boy with a golden heart: his devotion to the Good King and his friends is unmatched, but for a time he was their greatest foe. Hard to believe, understandably, and the story is compelling. There is adventure, sorcery, tragedy, blossoming attraction, and Peewit’s awful singing, but most of all there was a young lady who was the key element to his rescue. One day on her stallion, she crossed paths with the young knight while searching for a place to rest after a day of riding. . . . Johan's right brow rose in curiosity at the sound of a voice through the trees; by the depth and tone, he wondered whether it belonged to a girl near his age or a small boy. He slowed his horse's pace to a smooth canter and followed the voice until the words they spoke became clear. There he stopped and dismounted, carefully venturing through the underbrush until he noticed another person and their horse partially hidden by an old oak tree. The voice he heard belonged to a young lady who seemed to be pacing back and forth, so he took his hand off the handle of his sword. Still approaching with caution, he asked, “Young lady, what are doing here?” Startled, she jolted towards her horse and placed her hand over her saddlebag in a defensive stance. He took a few steps closer with his hands raised and bowed his head, continuing. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, miss.” She was a tad shorter, possibly younger, with light brown hair of outgrown bangs and the back tied into a ponytail. Her outfit consisted of a short-sleeve dress of ivy and lavender that reached just above her knees, separated into a top and skirt piece by an attached triangular lavender belt. Spring green leggings matched her forearm-length collared undershirt, and on her feet was a pair of dark maroon walking shoes with simple gold buckles on the front. “Who are you and where do you come from?” she replied, glancing him over. With a gentle smile, the boy introduced himself with his left arm over his chest and formerly bowed to her. “I am Sir Johan, Royal Knight to the King, friend of the Smurfs, and foe to all who dare threaten them,” he stated proudly. He straightened up and added, “Pray tell, who might you be?” She hesitated to answer, but his eyes reflected a sincere strength that she had not seen in quite some time. “My name is Falla,” she began after stepping back from the saddlebag. Crossing her arms, she added, “I once belonged to the Southern Kingdom on the other side of this forest and have no intention of going back.” Johan’s smiled vanished; he placed one hand on his side and the other began tapping his index finger against his chin. “Why not? Were you banished?” he inquired. “No, I ran away,” she corrected sharply. She approached him directly, pointing to the middle of his chest, and with a scolding tone added, “Now don’t you try telling me to go back, and don’t try to take me back home because I’m not going back at all." As she spoke, she poked into his chest and stepped closer, so he was stepping back from her until he was up against the oak tree. "I left my home because I wanted to, and I trust that you will respect my wishes, Sir Johan.” When she straightened up and withdrew from his personal space, he held his hand over the spot she had pointed at and nodded. He had never met any girl so forceful as her. “In that case, lead me to your kingdom. I want to ask the King if he will let me stay,” she finished. With that, she took her horse’s reins and prepared to ride. Likewise, Johan remounted Bayard and turned to the direction of the Smurf Village. “As you wish, but I must deliver something to the Smurfs before we return. It won’t take long.” He gave the horse a soft kick and they trotted several feet before she cut in front of them; her face was stern, so he stopped without question. “What are 'Smurfs'?” she asked. He smiled and gestured for her to follow. "A friendly set of creatures you ought to meet," he answered. As she sat there contemplating the offer, he maneuvered Bayard around her horse and overheard her repeating "Smurfs" to herself. "Very well then," she stated. She looked in the opposite direction he was going, and then caught up to his side. "So, what exactly are Smurfs? Are they big or small? I hope they speak our language. Do you understand them?" Johan chuckled and simply said, "You'll find out soon enough. We're not far from their village." It was shortly thereafter that she grew fond of the little blue creatures and started their friendships, along with the other members of the Good King's castle. Through Johan, she bonded particularly well with Peewit, his goat Biquette, and Princess Savina. No sooner had six days passed before she called this kingdom her new home, and the King welcomed her, offering the position of a seamstress or a Royal Aid to Johan and Peewit. For now, let us begin with the true story at hand: the time when Johan turned evil…'''' Author's Notes This prologue was originally written back in June of 2011 and revised at the end of June of 2012. I then completely changed the format and removed half the summarization on September 24th, 2014. Continuation *Main Page *Part 1 Category:Numbuh 404's Articles Category:The Reluctant Dark Knight chapters Category:LD Stories episodes